I am tired. There was so much street noise outside my apartment last night that I only got 3 hours of sleep and I need at least 8. In fact, my personal physician, Dr. Jonas Salk, recommended that I get 10 hours of sleep whenever possible.

Iran is a rogue state. The country will not adhere to its international obligations, even the agreements to which it is a signatory. For example, Iran signed the Non- Proliferation Treaty but will not allow IAEA inspectors to examine its nuclear power facilities. In fact, both the Iranian Government and the IAEA acknowledge that Iran has unsealed nuclear facilities that were previously closed by the IAEA.

Nebraska is a red state. Red states are those that have a Republican political identification and Nebraska is solidly Republican. Nebraska voters have supported the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1968.

My dorm is in a frightful state. I live like an animal. There is half-eaten food thrown under the bed. There are chew marks on the furniture. There are bones on the closet floor. I have been asked to clean it or vacate it by the Dean of Students and the Department of Public Health. Here are the notices I received today.

Indirect refutation:Bringing up new issues that aren’t specifically addressed by the other side but which are important for deciding the issue for debate.

Four Strategies for Refutation

Test for Relevance. The best option, when confronted with an argument made by the other side, is to show that it is not relevant to the debate, or not relevant to your side’s ideas. This way, you don’t even need to directly refute the argument- if you can show that it is not relevant, you can move on to spend more time on other issues that are relevant. This is a kind of strategic agreement, where you might agree with the other side’s idea but disagree on its importance for the debate.

Test for Significance. The second best option, when confronted with an argument made by the other side, is to show that it is not significant for deciding the debate. This strategy is similar to the test for relevance in that you don’t even need to directly refute the argument- if you can show that it is not significant or important, you can move on to spend more time on other issues that are significant. You can show an issue is not significant by comparing it to your ideas- for example, you might say: “They say that reducing global warming will increase bureaucracy, but that’s not a reason not to act, because the consequences of global warming are so much more severe than the consequences of bureaucracy.”

Turn or Capture the Argument. The third best option, when confronted with an argument made by the other side, is to try to capture the argument for your side. Sometimes we call this argument strategy a “turn,” because you are turning the tables on the other side. Like the first two strategies, this is also a kind of strategic agreement, where you might agree with the other side’s idea. In fact, you agree so much with their idea that you’re trying to show how it proves your side. So, for example, if you’re arguing that all students should have to take a college preparatory curriculum, and the other side says that students can’t pass those classes, you might say that this argument supports your side, because that is one of the reasons we need to set higher, more challenging, expectations for students.

Answer the Argument.Finally, if you can’t dismiss an argument because of irrelevance or insignificance, or capture it, then you should go ahead and answer it. There are, of course, a variety of ways this can be done- you can show its reasoning is flawed, or that there is evidence to the contrary, or that there are meaningful exceptions to a rule they have proposed, for example.

Observer Feedback:

Make sure that all evidence and assertions are relevant to the points and counterpoints within the context of THIS debate.

Avoid illogical and ancillary arguments. (Oedipus didn't actually KNOW he was committing initial crimes. How can you argue culpability prior to Sphinx?) Stay within the context of the topic.

Assertions/constructive arguments were very clear.

Evidence was always used; however, sometimes more relevant evidence should have been used to support your assertion.

Every argument should FIRST SERVE TO DEFEND YOUR POSITION. Your secondary goal is to refute the opposing team's position.

PUBLIC SPEAKING/GENERAL

Aristotelian triad: logos, ethos, pathos: A good speaker uses all THREE elements of the triad. The speaker should be qualified and educated on the topic. The speaker should use facts to support an argument. The speaker should employ emotional appeal in order to reach the audience.

Find a balance between reading and informal memorized extemporaneous speaking.

Do not fidget (tapping pens, playing with hair, dancing, fiddling with clothing/buttons on sports coats, spinning in movable chairs). This applies to BOTH speaker and audience members.

Do not verbally fidget. ("Oh, I'm sorry." "Oh, I already said that." "Grateful." "So, yeah.") Avoid any form of verbal stalling - different from stuttering. Verbal stalling shows a lack of preparedness and a lack of mental organization. If you do go blank, just stop talking. Take a second. Gather thoughts, and restart statement. Silence can work in your favor. A moment of silence to gather your thoughts can garner everyone's attention.

Make eye-contact and be confident with ALL members of your audience. Use natural gestures.

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"As we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson